We have recently separated our male ducks and chickens in preparation for their trip to the freezer. My question is, what is the best food for "fattening them up"?

The lady at the feed store suggested a grain and molassas mix that is used for cattle. Does anyone know if this is safe for poultry and ducks?

Also I've been reading info on our incubation process and it mentions "proper breeder rations". What is proper "breeder" feed for Ducks? Currently they are eating the Poultry Laying pellets that we feed the chickens. We keep them all together in the same "yard".

Thank you.

-- Devera Morgan (anatida@hotmail.com), November 08, 2001

Answers

I would feed them corn chops or something in conjunction with the laying pellets. The cattle ration may have cotton seed hulls in it and if it does it can cause trouble for ducks and chickens.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 08, 2001.

We've always fattened our ducks, chickens and other fowl up with plain old shelled corn. They eat and eat and eat.

-- Anna in Iowa (countryanna54@hotmail.com), November 08, 2001.

I'd go with the straight corn. They love it, and it's cheap. They would probably eat the cattle feed and be ok, but molassas feed makes stinky manure in ducks and that's no fun, either. I don't think their digestive tracts are really made for that kind of sugar.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), November 08, 2001.

Don't use molassas! Gives them the runs. Corn has always worked for us with Cornish cross birds.

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), November 09, 2001.

Come to think of it...hubby always feeds them corn too! You shouldn't need the laying pellets, they are just extra cost. My husband said that an animal without a rumen has trouble with the cotton seed though and that is in a lot of cattle feeds. Something about the acid stuff that is built up trying to digest it or something. He knows...I don't....anyway....corn chops would be easy for them to eat and will fatten them up! Cheap too.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 09, 2001.

Corn (maize) is traditional because it works. It became time-honoured because it worked and kept working. Better if it's cracked or ground (although not too fine), because that lets them get all the nutrition out of it it.

I don't use it. One of my sons is allergic to maize (gets totally spaced out - just not with us any longer), and the effect carries through in fresh flesh. Fortunately, it's too expensive for use in most commercial chicken feed in Australia. Other cracked grains will do - again, in Australia, wheat is cheap, available, and works; so we ALMOST never see him spaced-out after eating chicken.

BRAIN FLASH: he thinks he's also somewhat allergic to beef (said son is 27 years old, so he's not really my responsibilty any longer). However, there's a good chance feed-lot beef would have had maize used as a finishing food. Need to mention this to him.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 10, 2001.